Stokes and Root are very well set here – it’s not been chanceless but they’ve dug in extremely well in tough, hot conditions. The new ball is available in two overs’ time.
Today has felt decidedly absent of the swashbuckling scoring we’ve become used to since Stokes and McCullum put their stamp on this team. It’s almost as if England have remembered there’s value in caution, rather than throwing the bat in a vain effort to score.
Mind you, just because this is a lull in the Bazball era, it’s still well above the average run rate before the New Zealander took over in 2022.
Stokes peaking at the right time
With that 34, Stokes now has his highest score of the series so far. He made zero and 33 at Edgbaston, and 20 and 33 at Headingley.
I’ve been doing some adding up, and I think that Stokes and Root have played 112 Test matches together. Root’s attendance record is amazing. He hasn’t missed a Test since the one at Southampton during Covid when Stokes captained while Root was attending the birth of his child.
They’re building well together here, with eight overs to go until the new ball is available.
Stokes is getting some treatment for a bit of cramp — he’ll be okay to continue but looks in a bit of pain.
That’s the 50 partnership between these two old muckers Root and Stokes.
It’s come from 16.4 overs at a run rate of 3.12.
There’s 50 minutes of play left, which should be enough time for Root to get to three figures…
The really important stats
Plenty has been consumed at Lord’s today… Here are the headline figures.
An attendance of 29,372 has got through the following.
Everyone loves a scone12,000 afternoon tea cakes3,250 kegs (286,000 pints) onsite at start of Test match8,500 x bottles of Veuve Clicquot onsite2,500 x bottles of Whispering Angel1,050 casual staff per day53,000 bottles of water onsite for staff and visitorsUmpire’s call saves Stokes
That was a close one… Reddy thinks he has Stokes pinned lbw, but it’s given not out on the field. Gill sends it upstairs, but it’s umpire’s call on hitting the wickets. Stokes is still there on 27.
England are plodding along. The batsmen change their gloves. I imagine, because of the sweat. It’s got a bit too hot for most of the people in the Mound stand who are directly in the sun.
Washington Sundar is into his second over and is bowling very nicely with plenty of control, and is getting some turn. He’s gone for just two off his two overs.
India are three overs behind the required over rate although it’s not surprising — lots of seam and some messing around with ball changes and a change of keeper.
Pant is still off the field having his left hand looked at but it doesn’t sound too serious.
Brook’s stay at the crease was brief. He’s plodding his way back to the pavilion after having his stumps rearranged off Bumrah. The world’s best bowler gets the world’s best batsman. Not bad entertainment.
Ben Stokes is at the crease. The England skipper hasn’t had a score for a while, amid some concerns about his batting form.
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The great and the good of English cricket are here today. In my short and very hot perambulate at tea I bumped into, amongst others, Rob Andrew, Adam Hollioake, Daryl Mitchell and the former Palace manager Alan Smith.
The heat has gotten to a few people. The St John’s Ambulance medical staff have been pretty busy dealing with people who are overheated (and perhaps over-imbibed).
Brook brings a bit more Baz
The arrival of Harry Brook has moved things on a bit — he’s ticking along at a strike rate of 83, while Root is playing a very important hand going at 50.83.
I just had a step out around the ground and chatted to various people, all of whom said “this isn’t what we were expecting”. Bazball has raised expectations, but the way England are playing here is a demonstration of the evolution of the team. This is neither the day nor the pitch to throw caution to the wind.
Ollie Pope is gone for 44. He’s nicked behind off the first ball after tea from Jadeja. It’s a sharp catch from Jurel, who’s got the gloves while Pant is off the field. England are 153 for three.
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A great bit of sledging was picked up by the microphones in the middle, as Mohammed Siraj teased Root after a loose shot early in his innings.
He has a point to be fair — England’s run rate has hardly gone above three an over.
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A hat-trick and then some! Curtis Campher has had quite the afternoon.
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That’s tea. There were only 70 runs in that session. A slow over rate because of all the messing about with the ball.
We’ve got spin from both ends with Ravi Jadeja and Washington Sundar trying to mix things up a bit before the tea break.
There’s Root’s second half-century of the series. He’s been a very calm influence to rebuild this for England. It’s all very old school. This is what it used to be like watching England, not that long ago.
Root has now made 103 fifty-plus scores in Test cricket, bringing him level with Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting. Sachin Tendulkar, who is here today, tops that list with 119.
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With a neat backward cut, Joe Root moves to 46, and becomes the first batsman to score more than 3,000 Test runs against India. Player.
To quote the Holy Grail: get on with it!
Here we go again. Out comes the briefcase of balls, and this time we are actually changing it. They’ll try and find one that is about 40 overs old. This is another frustrating delay.
Gill wasn’t very happy about the ball thing — it looked as though they’d agreed to change the ball, but when the fourth umpire arrived on the pitch with the spares, they changed their mind.
We haven’t got an update on Pant’s condition yet but enquiries are being made with the Indian team press officer.
I spoke too soon on the ball! There’s a delay while the umpire has a look at the ball at Gill’s request. He’s out with the silver briefcase, but they’ve decided not to change it as it has been forced through the measuring gauge, which won’t please India.
It has certainly gone a bit softer, you can tell by the sound it makes off the bat.
There’s a quite wonderful, if restricted, view through the scoreboard at Lord’s, providing a snapshot of the batsman in action. Here’s Joe Root through the eyes of a lucky few.
BEN STANSALL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
BEN STANSALL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
After all that hullabaloo about the balls, this one seems to be doing very nicely. It’s still swinging, and there haven’t been any moans about it.
This is all very retro. Root is, of course, one of the more traditional players in the team but nonetheless credit must go to India — the quality of their bowling has forced England away from all-out attack into something far more restrained.
That’s drinks and England have survived the first hour after lunch. The ball is now 37 overs old, and will probably start going a bit soft from now on. No doubt the players will have a bit of a moan about it.
That last hour was bit of a crawl, but importantly Pope and Root are still there, ticking along at under three an over. What’s going on?!
Simon Wilde, at Lord’s
This partnership, currently unbroken on 61, has the third-slowest scoring rate of any partnership since Ben Stokes took over as captain in June 2022.
Only Ben Foakes and Root in Ranchi last February, and Brook and Root at Old Trafford against Sri Lanka last summer, are slower.
Overall, this is the second-slowest innings during the Bazball era, currently ticking along at 2.94 runs an over.
What’s more, England brought up their second-slowest hundred in any Test innings of the Bazball era, taking 35.4 overs. The slowest was 37.2, also against India, in Rajkot last year.
A proper Test match.
Root sends a lovely drive through square on the off side up the hill, and we have our second boundary of the session. England move to 105 for two.
And just like that we have another one — but this time it’s leg byes.
Rishabh Pant leaves the field
The India wicketkeeper has mooched up to the dressing rooms for a bit more treatment on his finger after he dived to prevent byes down the leg side.
Let’s hope this isn’t too bad. It would be a shame to lose his fireworks with the bat and his chirping behind the stumps. Dhruv Jurel comes on to take the gloves.
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Quite the stat here… after lunch there were 28 consecutive dot balls. We’ve had one boundary so far in this session, and that was the third ball after lunch, during the 26th over. We’re now at the end of the 35th. A very non-Bazball afternoon so far.
The “resplendent” count is going through the roof today, and rightly so. The Home of Cricket looks quite wonderful.
GARETH COPLEY – ECB/ECB VIA GETTY IMAGES
BEN STANSALL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Henman Hill, is that you?
It’s sweltering in London today and spectators are making the most of the grass on the nursery ground. There’s a big screen out here, so some people usually decide just to bed in on the bean bags for the rest of the day.
And that is lunch.
The second hour of the morning was a bit mad. The ball was swinging all over the place, bringing to an end England’s opening pair, but Root and Pope have steadied things a little.
Nevertheless, Shubman Gill will be pleased with what the ball has done this morning, having lost the toss. In the opposing dressing room, Stokes might be wondering if he made the right decision. This partnership is worth 39 from 11 overs. A very absorbing session.
After a bit of a scratchy start, Ollie Pope is settling in here. He’s playing the swing better, with a more open bat face. At the other end, Joe Root is looking his usual organised self.
Someone is going to be having a very civilised lunch on the nursery ground. Look at this set up and the colour of the sky. Glorious.
Swinging all over the shop
This is absolutely gripping cricket. Nitish Reddy is getting it to shape away down the slope, and India’s seamers have got their tails right up. It’s a little surprising given there isn’t a cloud in the sky that we are getting so much swing. But it’s good fun.
Gill makes a stop in the field off Root
ANDREW FOSKER/SHUTTERSTOCK
Crawley is gone for 18, and England are in a bit of a spot now… Two in the over for Reddy. If the first one was lucky, the second one is an absolute jaffa. Swing and bounce with a bit of movement and Crawley is gone.
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Pope then edges off Siraj, nudging at a length ball that also swung late. It dropped mercifully short of second slip, though.
Has Ben Stokes made the wrong call at the toss again?
Ben Duckett is gone, a glove down the leg side off Nitish Kumar Reddy for 23. It’s a cheap wicket all told. He trudges off and is replaced by Ollie Pope, whose first shot is a loose drive outside off which doesn’t quite carry to Shubman Gill at gully. Edgy start…
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Bumrah is getting it to hoop all over the place now after an innocuous start. There’s a huge inswinger to Crawley, which takes the tall England opener by surprise. The very next ball, there’s movement away. Being able to move the ball both ways at Lord’s is quite a skill.
Crawley has just tripped over his own feet and face-planted the turf — he’s laughing because he literally tripped over nothing while turning for a second run.
England have survived the first hour, mostly without alarm, but it’s been testing. They are going along at a very non-Bazball-y three an over.
India will be pretty pleased with how the first hour has gone, even though they haven’t taken a wicket. There’s more movement than might have been expected and seems like there’s a bit of something either from the pitch or the air.
Lord’s is packed to the rafters — there’s not a seat to be had anywhere.
Bumrah has replaced Akash Deep from the nursery end, with Mohammed Siraj taking responsibility for the pavilion end.
Bumrah returns to the India attack after missing the Edgbaston Test
ANDY KEARNS/GETTY IMAGES
Half an hour of play gone. This is restrained stuff from England’s openers, but they’re growing in confidence. Zak Crawley is 13 from 25 balls and Ben Duckett 14 from 26. Akash Deep has bowled two maidens.
First boundary of the match
Duckett hits a lovely cover drive off Bumrah for the first boundary of the game. It came right off the middle, a very nice strike indeed.
It is, unexpectedly, nipping around a bit, and this is a test of Duckett and Crawley’s mettle. They’ve taken a couple of sturdy body shots. Hard going.
A sedate start to the morning. I have just nipped outside on to the concourse to assess the vibes, and blimey it is hot. It’s going to be quite a toil in the field for India I suspect, although it won’t be any better when England take to the field, because the temperatures are set to be high for the next five days.
Anyone who hasn’t been to Lord’s, it has a very distinct feel about it. No loud chanting, no fancy dress, no musical instruments, just a very low constant hum filled with anticipation and excitement.
Akash Deep was one of India’s star performers from the Edgbaston Test, taking ten wickets in the match. He starts from the nursery end.
Pant gloves a looser one from Bumrah which trickles through the cordon for a bye. Duckett on strike, and he survives an edge which doesn’t quite carry to the keeper… Anxious start.
Jasprit Bumrah has the ball in hand at the pavilion end, Crawley is on strike. It’s a leave.
Laura Wright is in a bright red dress is outside the pavilion, ready to lead the national anthems and the players are lined up in the glorious sunshine facing the MCC members who are out in force. The egg-and-bacon is popping in the sunshine, and there’s not a seat to be had outside the pavilion.
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Sachin Tendulkar is ringing the five-minute bell having unveiled a portrait of himself in the Long Room earlier this morning.
Grab yourself a drink and stay with us for what could be an absolutely fascinating day of cricket.
Talk of moving Ben Stokes down the order is premature
Amid fears for the England captain‘s form so far in this series, it would be just like him to step up at the big moment and find form at Lord’s, a ground he’s thrived at. He still has plenty to offer at No6.
Read Steve James’s full piece on Stokes here.
England put out their team yesterday, with Jofra Archer replacing Josh Tongue the only change. India’s change is an expected one — Jasprit Bumrah in for Prasidh Krishna.
Gill says he was a bit confused about what to do if he won the toss, and looks a bit relieved to have lost it.
It won’t be easy to take wickets here — it looks like a pretty typical Lord’s pitch, but both sides can look at the World Test Championship final between Australia and South Africa last month. There were wickets to be had, but the pitch got better to bat on as the match went on.
England win the toss and bat
Right then — there are, as usual, about 500 people on the outfield ready for the toss.
Lord’s is looking resplendent in the sunshine. It’s a full house and you can’t get a ticket for love nor money. They are going for hundreds of pounds each on the third-party ticket sales.
The coin has gone up and Ben Stokes has called correctly and he is… drum roll… batting first!
He was right — he isn’t stuck in his ways.
Team news from India, just the one change for India, Bumrah in for Krishna as expected.
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Enable cookiesAllow cookies onceArcher enters ring to take on Bumrah on mouthwatering heavyweight contest
Mike Atherton, at Lord’s
After a four-year absence, can the fast bowler possibly recapture his electrifying form and become the first man in this series to challenge Shubman Gill?
Read the full preview here.
Ciggies, adultery and snobbery — how England won the 1955 Ashes
In his book, Victory in Australia, Richard Whitehead chronicles a lost age when cricketers saw exercise as a form of cheating, and Benson & Hedges supplied the team with tobacco.
Read the full review by the Times’ chief culture writer, Richard Morrison.
Len Hutton, the England captain, in Perth
GETTY IMAGES/FAIRFAX MEDIA
England’s Women suffered a comprehensive loss yesterday as India sealed their five-match T20 series with a game to spare at Old Trafford. Glaring England issues raised their head again, and there is still plenty for the new leadership to sort out.
Click here to read the full report.
Just a reminder of what Jofra Archer can do when he’s on song… His best innings figures of 6-45 helped skittle Australia at Headingley in 2019.
Ben Stokes and Rishabh Pant blast Dukes ball
The England captain and India wicketkeeper have expressed their irritation with the soft Dukes ball being used in this series.
“There is an issue with the balls going soft and completely out of shape,” said Stokes.
Pant echoed Stokes’s concerns, complaining that the balls being used “are not good for cricket.”
Read the full story here.
The return of Jofra Archer
Four years since his last Test match, in a career plagued by stubborn injuries, Jofra Archer is finally back playing for England in the longest format. Whether or not he is ready for the thorough examination of a Test match, against an in form Indian batting lineup don’t forget, is a different thing.
Read the story of Archer’s tough last few years, as told by John Westerby.
The coin toss will be fascinating
Good morning everyone. It’s already very warm here at Lord’s with temperatures set to rise throughout the day. There will be some pickled spectators here later.
The pitch looks like a fairly typical Lord’s pitch. It might do a little bit, but mostly I think it’ll be flat maybe a bit slow. There are no clouds in the sky so the ball won’t be swinging because of overhead conditions which will make decisions at the toss for which ever captain wins it very interesting.
The players are doing their usual pre-match stuff; some are in the net, some are on the outfield. We already know England’s team and we are fully expecting Jasprit Bumrah to return to India’s.
Sachin Tendulkar is here and has unveiled a portrait of himself that has been added to the large MCC collection.
GARETH COPLEY – ECB/ECB VIA GETTY IMAGES
Join me throughout the day for all the proceedings both on and off the pitch.
Good morning: it’s cricket time
Oh aren’t we finely poised. One victory each for both England and India — in rather different circumstances — and now the cricketing gods have brought us to Lord’s, the home of cricket, where these two titan nations of bat and/or ball lock horns once again to take the lead in the series. This is going to be marvellous. It’s a belting day in the capital, and Elizabeth Ammon is at the ground to watch it all unfold.